Puhtasääniaudiometriassa

Puhtasääniaudiometria, often referred to as pure-tone audiometry, is a fundamental audiological test used to determine an individual's hearing threshold for various frequencies. This diagnostic tool helps assess the sensitivity of the auditory system and identify the presence, type, and degree of hearing loss. The test involves presenting pure tones, which are single-frequency sounds, to the individual at different intensity levels. The lowest intensity at which the individual can reliably detect the tone is recorded as their hearing threshold for that specific frequency.

During a pure-tone audiometry test, headphones are typically used to deliver sounds to each ear separately. The audiologist presents a series of tones, starting at a higher intensity and gradually decreasing it until the participant can no longer hear the sound. The participant's response, usually by pressing a button or raising a hand, indicates their awareness of the sound. This process is repeated for a range of frequencies, typically from 250 Hz to 8000 Hz, which covers the most important range for speech understanding. The results are plotted on an audiogram, a graph that visually represents the hearing thresholds across different frequencies for each ear. This information is crucial for diagnosing hearing conditions and guiding treatment or management strategies.